Vacuum wound vehicle clock



Feb. 14, 1956 J. E. ESHBAUGH 2,734,337

VACUUM WOUND VEHICLE CLOCK Filed May 21, 1952 1W Z5292 50 ff Inventor a I I Y4.

W x iorneys VACUUM WOUND VEHICLE CLOCK Jesse E. Eshbaugh, Flint, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application May 21, 1952, Serial No. 289,060

2 Claims. (Cl. 58-46) This invention relates to winding or tensioning means for resilient means and more particularly to means for automatically winding, or maintaining in a tensioned condition, resilient drive members. In the application of clocks to motor vehicles there has always existed the problem of maintaining said clocks wound so that they will accurately indicate the correct time without attention. In the earliest applications, clocks having main springs capable of operating for a comparatively long time, such for example as eight days, were used. Later electrically wound clocks became popular in which, at certain predetermined intervals caused by the motion of the clock mechanism itself, short winding strokes were electrically applied so that the operation of the clock was continuous without the necessity of the operator winding the same at given intervals. However, the electrical winding equipment is comparatively expensive and other means for maintaining clock movements wound were sought.

It is therefore one of the objects in making this inven-- tion to provide means operated from one of the normal variables in car operation to wind and maintain the vehicle clock wound.

It is a further object in making the invention to provide winding means for a vehicular clock which is operated by a change in the manifold vacuum pressure in normal vehicle operation.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent as the specification proceeds, my invention will be best understood by reference to the following specification and claims and the illustrations in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a vertical section through a clock mechanism to which is applied the automatic winding means.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Figure Figure 3 is a sectional view taken. on line 33 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

There are in the operation of a motor vehicle a number of factors which are varied and which may be used for driving various parts or accessories such as clocks. As an example,.the pressure in the intake manifold of a gasoline engine varies with each change in loading or speed, and therefore this variation can be used to drive or move parts in a reciprocal manner. This reciprocation can in turn be translated into such rotary motion or any other desired motion to Wind a vehicular clock or drive any other mechanism as desired. In the present instance there is disclosed in general as an example of a form of the invention, one in which said variations in manifold pressure provide driving force for maintaining a vehicular clock wound.

In general the mechanism disclosed in Figure 1 consists in the main of three parts: first, a diaphragm which is moved reciprocally by changes in the manifold vacuum;

United States Patent 2,734,337 Patented Feb. 14, 1956 second, mechanical means connected to said diaphragm and translating said reciprocating motion into rotary motion; and third, a clock, the winding stem of which is directly connected to the rotating means.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 1, there is shown therein a casing 2 in one end of which a clock mechanism indicated generally at 4 is mounted. This clock is provided with hands 6 and 8 which are mounted on the driving shafts of said clock and which rotate in proximity to a dial 10 which is mounted to peripherally surround said hands. A cover plate 12 encloses the front of the casing and protects the dial and hands and a bezel 14 holds the cover plate in place. There is also provided the conventional setting knob 16 by which the hands can be set through conventional mechanism not shown. This portion of the clock is conventional.

Clock mechanisms normally have drive shafts and main springs to be wound, and in the present instance toothed shaft 18, shown projecting from the rear face of the clock mechanism, is the drive shaft. A plurality of spaced mounting studs 20 are mounted on the back of the clock mechanism and extend therefrom to support suitable driving gearing and a plate 22, which lies parallel to the back surface of the clock. Rotatably mounted between the plate 22 and the rear surface of the clock is the main spring assembly 24 and at its inner end a driving gear 26, which is adapted to mesh with and drive the gear 18. The spring shaft 28 extends through a bearing surface in the plate 22 and has mounted on its outer end a ratchet wheel 30.

, Plate 22 also carries in spaced relation around its peice " riphery a plurality of mounting studs 32 which extend between said plate 22 and the face 34 of the diaphragm housing indicated generally at 36. This diaphragm housing is rigidly secured to the rear of the casing 2 by suitable mounting means 38. The rear central section of the diaphragm housing 36 is reduced in diameter, as shown at 40, and terminates in a coupling 42 to which suitable connections may be made for applying the manifold vacuum to this area. A flexible diaphragm 44 is mounted .across the diaphragm housing by being clamped between the two sections thereof, since one portion of the housing is crimped over, as shown at 46. This diaphragm carries on opposite sides two substantially fiat discs 48 and 50 which provide a certain amount of rigidity for the diaphragm, the whole being assembled by a rivet-like memher 52, the shaft 54 of which extends through the discs 50 and 48 and through the center of the diaphragm and is held in place by a clip washer 56 which snaps over the projecting end of the shaft 54 and holds a larger Washer 57 against the surface of disc 48.

A compressed helical spring 58 is mounted within the reduced portion 40 of the housing, bearing against the inner end surface thereof and against the face of the disc 48, normally tending to move the diaphragm assembly toward the left as shown in Figure 1, but being com pressed by any movement of the diaphragm assembly toward the right, as would be occasioned when the vacuum increased in the manifold, thus tending to reduce the pressure on the right hand side of the diaphragm assembly below that on the left-hand side. Thus, as the manifold vacuum changes due to normal car operation, the diaphragm assembly will be alternately moved back and forth within the housing.

Secured to the outer face 34 of the diaphragm housing adjacent the center by any suitable means such as soldering, is an angled bracket 60 which pivotally supports a bell crank member 62, as best shown in Figures 3 and 4. One end of the bell crank member 62 is provided with an opening 66 through which a pin 68 projects to pivotally connect this end to the extending end 70 of the rivet-like member 52. Thus as the diaphragm moves back and forth and this movement moves the associated rivet 52 with it, the bell crank 62 will be turned about its pivot shaft 64, which will move the opposite end 72 reciprocally. The bell crank 62 has a free or loose fit on shaft 64', permitting some degree of compound movement of the crank. Mounted on the end of the shaft 28 beyond the ratchet wheel 30 but free to rotate with respect to said shaft, is a lever arm 74, one end of which is provided with a flanged opening 76 into which the rounded end 72 of the bell crank lever 62 is adapted to project. Thus as the bell crank reciprocates back and forth the lever 74 will be rotated around its pivot in opposite directions for a limited distance.

The arm 75 of lever 74 carries on its inner surface thereof opposite the opening 76, a pivoted pawl 7 8 which is spring biased toward the shaft 28 and the axis of the lever 74 and engages the teeth 31 of the ratchet wheel 30. The teeth 31 are so inclined as to be driven by said pawl 78 when it rotates in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in Figure 2, and to permit the pawl 73 to slide thereover when the lever 74. is rotated in the opposite direction. In order to prevent the ratchet wheel 30 from moving in a clockwise direction, as shown in Figure 2, and permit the spring 24 to unwind, the stop pawl 80 is pivotally mounted on the plate 22 in such a way as to engage the teeth 31 to prevent such rotation.

In the operation of the device, as the vacuum in the manifold of the internal combustion engine varies, the diaphragm 44 moves back and forth in the chamber to which it is connected and this action imparts reciproca tory motion to the rivet-like or driving pin 52. Each movement of the driving pin 52 to the right in Figure l pulls on the arm 61 of the bell crank 62, causing it to rotate about its pivot 64. This rotaion, therefore, causes rounded end 72 to press against the side of the flanged opening 76 of the driving lever 74 and thus rotate the ations to provide a sufficient number of driving impulses 'so that the main spring of the clock can be kept wound;

There is no danger of overwind of the clock spring inasmuch as the actual pressure applied to the driving diaphragm 48 is only that of spring 58. If the main spring becomes wound, the spring 58 will become biased by the diaphragm but will not have sufficient strength to force the diaphragm back to the left as shown in Figure 1 against the force of the wound main spring. However, as soon as the spring becomes partially run. down, then this force will be sufiicient to drive it back, to again cause winding action. 7

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a substantially cylindrical housing, clock means mounted in said housing and having a main spring and gearing for winding the same whose axes are parallel to that of the housing, a substantially circular hollow chamber within which pressure variations occur mounted within the housing in a plane transverse to the axis, a diaphragm mounted in the chamber movable by pressure variations, spring biasing means in the chamber to bias the diaphragm to a position opposite to that to which it is moved by the pressure I change, rotatable ratchet means connected to said gearlever about its pivot on shaft 28. However, since this 7 lever carries driving pawl 78, which is in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 30, rotation of the lever '74 in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in Figure 2, will drive the ratchet wheel 30 counterclockwise. Therefore, when the vacuum in the manifold changes so as to return the driving pin 52 to its left-hand position through spring 53', the pawl 78 will drive the teeth of the ratchet wheel 30, and locking pawl 80 will prevent any reverse rotation of this wheel. Since ratchet wheel 30 is rigidly secured to shaft 28, it will wind the spring in the assembly 24. The spring drive gear 26 will, through the pinion 18, drive the clock mechanism.

Obviously the rotation of wheel 30 will be only a matter of a tooth or two at a time, but since the vacuum variations in an internal combustion engine manifold occur at short intervals of time, there will be ample cyclic variing to drive the same in one direction, and a bell crank pivotally mounted on the chamber and operatively connected to said rotatable ratchet means and said diaphragm to translate reciprocal motion of said diaphragm into rotary motion of said ratchet means to wind the main spring of the clock.

2. In a device of the class described, a housing, clock means mounted in said housing having a main spring and gearing connected thereto for winding the same, a hollow chamber within which pressure variations occur mounted within the housing in juxtaposition to the gearing, a diaphragm mounted in the chamber movable by pressure variations therein, spring biasing means in the chamber to bias the diaphragm to a position opposite to that to which it is moved by the pressure change, rotatable ratchet means connected to said gearing to drive the same in one direction, and a bell crank pivotally mounted on the chamber and operatively connected to said rotatable ratchet means and said diaphragm to translate the reciprocable motion of said diaphragm into rotary motion of the ratchet means to wind' the main spring of the clock.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,486,841 Porter Mar. 11, 1924 FOREIGN PATENTS 330,627 Great Britain June 16, 1930 199,527 Switzerland Nov. 16, 1938 

